


Didn't Sign Up for This

by Jemppu



Series: Honey Mushroom [31]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Art, Culmets - Freeform, Fanart, M/M, Tumblr, honey mushroom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23837107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemppu/pseuds/Jemppu
Summary: Part of"Honey Mushroom"series of illustrated Culmets momentslisted here on tumblr.Behind the scenes of the USS Glenn recovery mission of season 1, episode 3.With an illustration.
Relationships: Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets
Series: Honey Mushroom [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1080993
Kudos: 9





	Didn't Sign Up for This

**Author's Note:**

> The series gets released quite out of order, as inspiration dictates, so I urge you to check out the [series list on tumblr](https://tinyurl.com/honeyshroom) for a better picture of the whole.

## 

## Didn’t Sign Up for This

  
Paul’s evening had gotten most unexpected turn - to say the least.

Captain Lorca had just come to inform, that Glenn had been attacked and whole of it’s crew perished. Straal included. Paul’s long time buddy and partner was gone. Just like that. Paul clearly hadn’t had time to process this thought yet. Nor would he have for now.

Right now his mind was preoccupied by the orders Lorca had brought with the news:

Lieutenant Stamets would be part of the away team tasked to recover Straal’s half of the Spore drive research data and equipment from aboard Glenn. Paul was admittedly terrified - he had never taken part in any such field mission, let alone one that would take place in potentially hostile zone.

This definitely wasn’t part of his job description. As a scientist first and foremost, even “Head of Engineering” had once seemed like a stretch, but being so closely knit to his research, he had of course come to accept it - and it too had required studies and training. But now, getting armed and shipped out like a soldier into enemy territory with a moments notice? This was too much.

But it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. He had voiced his disapproval, but whether he liked it or not, he was a Starfleet officer on duty aboard a federation vessel, and these orders - ill-advised or not - came from the top.

Paul was pacing down a lower deck corridor, when his PADD buzzed, indicating a new message: _“Just heard about Glenn; you okay, Honey?”_

Of all the nights of the week, this had to happen on the one Hugh was on the night shift. This would’ve been so much easier to deal with after the fact, Paul found himself thinking.

 _“Can’t believe it myself. We’re heading to Glenn to recover the research data”_ , Paul typed back. He would’ve loved to have added _“don’t worry about me”_ , but knew there was no way in hell for that. Or that such a worry wouldn’t be most justified as well.

Paul put away the PADD and reached for his communicator, knowing full well what was coming next. A chirp and he flipped the device open.

“ _“We”_?“ Hugh’s confused voice sounded out from the other end of the line, “surely you mean a team of yours?”

Paul hesitated for a moment, “I’m afraid I’m included”, he answered as calmly as he could.

“Are you serious?”

Paul looked at the company he was currently in: the mutineer had been pushed on him by Lorca. He absolutely had his doubts about including such an outsider to their highly classified research, but the mutineer did also have a certain reputation, indicating they could surely handle a situation, if things got tough. The cadet though? They had admittedly been a rushed decision - the one available right then. Paul had no idea of cadet Tilly’s level of expertise outside their engineering training - which itself was exemplary, but how useful for this particular mission?

“Very”, Paul confirmed, somewhat lost in his thoughts, “we’re headed to the gear room to prepare for the take-off right now.”

 _“His”_ , Paul’s head then had the audacity to interrupt and remind him of the new situation. Was it _“ **his** highly classified research”_ from now on?

“Wait? You mean **now** now?” Hugh’s voice sounded out confused.

Paul snapped back to the moment. “Yes, right now”, he answered matter-of-factly, “I was told commander Landry’s gathering the team.”

Paul glanced again over at the duo traveling with him, who were now trying hard to appear as if they weren’t paying attention to the lieutenant’s call. He wasn’t at all comfortable having his private conversation in the earshot of this company, so he let himself get behind at the Turbolift, indicating to the two of them to go on ahead of him. He’d be taking the next one.

He could almost hear Hugh’s thoughts racing through the line. “Okay”, Hugh started after a brief pause, “you wait for me there at the gear room, okay?”

Oh, ‘great’ - Hugh had just shifted to his overbearing mode, Paul thought to himself. He furrowed and rubbed his brows, “you don’t have to…”

“Paul! You are **not** leaving before I get there. Is that clear?” Hugh spoke in a commanding, almost angry tone.

“Clear”, Paul rolled his eyes, stepping into the Turbolift. He could hear muted voices from the other end of the line - Hugh was clearly arranging his 'escape’ from the medbay with someone.

“Please tell me you have 'heavies’ with you?” Hugh’s voice came back on the line.

“Huh?” Paul mumbled, confused by this unexpected questioning. He felt bit overwhelmed, how worked up this was getting Hugh, “I’m sure Landry’s got that covered” he found himself assuring, “I’ll be there just to point them to the stuff to pick up.”

“Okay, good”, Hugh responded, apparently content that his man was clear on the situation, but Paul could sense the doubt in the man’s voice too, “I’m on way now. See you in a minute, Mushroom.”

“Love you”, Paul responded, sounding almost apologetic, and was greeted back with static from the line.

He had to admit though: all this fuss was leaving him less time to be nervous about the circumstances. And having to have to reassure Hugh of the situation was actually making him himself feel better about it too, somehow.

As he now thought about it, he came to a realization, that this might not have been completely unintended. Paul smiled to himself - where ever would he be without this man.

“Here. Recommend you put this on, Lieutenant”, a mountain of a man stared down at Paul, handing him a tactical vest. This must have been one of Landry’s 'heavies’, Paul thought.

Paul hadn’t had to really wear one of these yet. Not in anything more than in a brief training situation before the mission. He hated putting on this detestable vest. Not for it’s cumbersome, movement restricting nature, - what was little discomfort for the protection it provided, after all - but for what it had started to represent lately: all he despised in Starfleet - the militant side of the organization.

Though, standing in this here room right now, it seemed the least off-putting piece of equipment amongst all the daunting weaponry and combat gear laid around.

“What will it be?” the 'mountain’ seemed to be asking Paul about his weapon of choice, holding out what looked like a far too massive a gun for Paul to even hold.

“Uh, I think I’ll be good with just the standard phaser”, Paul answered disconcerted, “unless we have time for a training session on how to handle any of these cannons.”

His attempt at humor was met with a stoic look, and the man turned around to hand the gun down to the next in line, cadet Tilly, who appeared somewhat excited even by this 'toy’, before seemingly being shot down by some disapproving remark from the mutineer.

Paul observed the scene feeling alienated and increasingly lost - what the hell had he gotten involved in?

A whoosh from the gear room door and Paul could feel a weight lifted off of his shoulders - thank goodness his man had insisted on coming to see him off. There he stood like a fucking angel in his all whites.

Hugh walked over, eyeing around the room. “Is this it?” he asked, seemingly not impressed with the supposed mission crew, “where’s Landry themself?”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking”, Paul attempted to change the subject.

Hugh was quick to pick on that and relented his scorn. “Are you though?”, he asked stepping in a bit too close for comfort for Paul in this current company.

“Surprisingly okay”, Paul answered wishing they’d be somewhere more private having this conversation, “just pissed as hell for being put into this situation.”

He knew that wasn’t what Hugh had meant of course, but couldn’t allow himself to think of the other thing right now.

“You and me both, Honey”, Hugh agreed in a tense tone - seemingly 'accepting’ the answer - while quickly scanning the room again to see if the man to blame would be present. “But seriously though - this crew looks severely lacking”, Hugh spoke out almost as to himself, visibly concerned, but clearly not wanting to nag to Paul about something the man obviously had no say over and thus shouldn’t be worrying about.

“We’ll just be in and out quickly”, Paul assured, thinking again, if the man was deliberately making him say these uncharacteristically peppy things, he himself couldn’t have been sure of.

Another whoosh from the door, “Stamets, what’s the doc doing here?!” Landry’s hostile voice shouted out from somewhere behind Paul’s back, “Hurry it up!”.

Paul didn’t have time to even turn around. He only saw Hugh throw a fierce look over Paul’s shoulder at the direction of the voice, “Excuse me, Commander?” Hugh responded agitated, “you watch how you address your fellow officers!”

A loud clang sounded out, as Landry let the heavy gear bag she had been carrying drop to the floor. “I’m the senior here, and you do not belong, medic!” she shouted back irritated, “we leave in five! Get the man ready or I’m reporting you out of your post to the command.”

Hugh’s eyes were burning holes through Landry, but the man knew better, than to continue with the shouting match. Paul found himself uncomfortable, suddenly trapped there between this unexpected argument and in the attention of the whole room. While he felt partly responsible for having had Hugh dragged into this situation and for it to bring the man down to this level, he also couldn’t help, but to feel damn proud of his man for setting the record straight with the aggressive mission leader.

Once he felt the room’s attention had shifted back away from them, he noticed Hugh’s hand on his chest, that must have been resting there this whole time. He placed his own hand over it to shift the man’s attention - to calm him down - and looked up at him from underneath high arched brows with mixture of awe and confusion. Hugh knew to read this as _“you fucking hero”_ and couldn’t help but respond with amused and a slightly apologetic smile, “sorry. This whole situation is so surreal”, he said with a roll of eyes indicating _“can’t believe that just happened”_.

"No, please, are you kidding”, Paul assured in an admiring tone, “you have my complete blessing to wipe the floor with the bitch’s attitude. A fucking turn-on.”

Hugh let out a little chuckle, and patted Paul on his heavily armoured chest. “You let me know, when you get back, okay”, he reminded Paul, shifting back to a more serious demeanor.

Paul nodded absent mindedly, looking down to see if his vest was secured. Probably for the tenth time. Hugh tugged the vest’s waist band as if to indicate, that all was just fine - things checked out.

Hugh was more worried about the phaser strapped to his man’s thigh. “Did you have any training on how to use one of these?” he asked inspecting the holster.

“It’s fine”, Paul assured, “this was easy enough to memorize; standard Starfleet stuff, right?”. What he didn’t care to remind Hugh of was, that he had never had to use a phaser outside it’s purpose as a glorified stun gun of course. And hopefully didn’t have to now either.

Staring down at the holster, Paul’s eyes glazed over into nothing as he shifted into his thoughts.

“Any chance for a kiss?” Hugh asked, prompting his man to snap out of it and look back up again.

Paul rolled his eyes to point at the scene around them and gave Hugh his best _'c'mon-you-know-me-better-than-that’_ -look. “Maybe save that for when I get back?” Paul responded.

“Attaboy”, Hugh replied with a smile, patting Paul on his side encouragingly, “I’ll be looking forward to that”.

Paul noticed, how Hugh’s own eyes had suddenly adopted a more absent minded look on them. All this while, the man must have been too focused on keeping Paul calm to have had the time to realize his own anxiety. Now that Paul was turning away to leave, he could sense the man found it hard to let go of his hand. He held on as long as possible, and followed the reluctant release with a single wave to send his man off.

Paul felt sorry for leaving the man behind to worry, but couldn’t help and smile either; he found himself thankful again for having this dearest man by his side on the journey.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts on the work posted along with the illustration on [**tumblr**](https://jmalkki.tumblr.com/post/172689830289/didnt-sign-up-for-this-a-possible-missing).
> 
> _Likes, shares, comments and what have you, all appreciated on:_  
>  _[ **tumblr**](http://jmalkki.tumblr.com/) | [**twitter**](https://twitter.com/Jemppu) | [**instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/jeminamalkki/) | [**DeviantArt**](https://www.deviantart.com/jemppu)_


End file.
